The purpose of most bumpers on the market is to provide protection for the vehicle and its occupants in case of collision, to provide a finished "dress" appearance and to be used for towing purposes. However, most bumpers available today are ornamental in nature, and built of such light weight materials that low speed impacts will dent or bend the bumper and possibly also damage the vehicle. When used for towing purposes, these light weight bumpers often cannot withstand heavy loads without bending or pulling apart and often damaging the vehicle. Furthermore, light weight truck bumpers are often built of such light weight material thereby causing a motorist to observe noticeable vibration of the rear panel of the bumper on a passing truck.
It is an object of the present invention through sturdiness of design and the use of durable, long lasting materials to produce a bumper that will not only withstand hard use and heavy loads without damage, but be inexpensive to manufacture and comparable in price to conventional bumpers.
A safety feature of this bumper is the protective side panels which wrap at an angle around the corners of the quarter panels to provide added support to the bumper and protection for the vehicle. A problem with the side panel design of U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,070 is that it extended to far forward and wrapped snugly along the side of the quarter panels thereby causing excessive damage with a buckling effect to the quarter panels, upon bumper impact. The present inventor, as an individual skilled in auto body repair, has repaired a number of such cases. The side panels of the present invention would not have this problem since the side panels are sturdier, of shorter length, and angle in an outward direction away from the quarter panels. Thus, impact with the bumper would be distributed to the vehicle frame and not to the quarter panel surface.
In addition to the protection and safety functions, the primary object of this invention is to provide the added feature of a large compartment used to provide secure storage of tools, jack, tow rope, chains, flares etc. in a lockable storage compartment. When using vehicles with conventional non-storage bumpers, tools or other equipment are often found buried in the front of the pick up bed under an assortment of debris when needed, or stored behind or under the driver's seat or in a tool box that takes up needed space in the vehicle. The present invention would keep these articles out of the elements, safe from theft, and in a convenient and easily accessible place in case of emergency or need.
A hinged lid is designed to cover and protect the storage compartment and its contents, add durability and strength to the bumper as well as lockable means for security of the stored items. The lid will have non-skid strips (38) adhered to the upper surface to prevent slippage if the bumper is used as a step means. A strip of weather seal will adhere to the underside of the cover to keep the compartment dry and weather resistant.
Another object of the invention is provide receptacles comprising of auxiliary lights, electrical outlet, and trailer hitch receivers, with the addition of a license plate bracket, and tow hooks. Most conventional bumpers provide only for receiving a license plate and all other accessories must be added on in some manner by the owner. Additional features for front bumpers will comprise of a winch receiver, optional tow hooks and a brush guard. The brush guard will serve as protection for the radiator, grill and paint surface, and be an optional addition to the front bumper for pick up trucks and 4.times.4 utility vehicles.
Storage bumpers in prior art such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,782 use piano hinges which would be difficult to keep clean and functioning in adverse conditions, or barn door type hinges used in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,570,986 and 3,614,136, which are awkward and unattractive in appearance and lack the necessary strength needed for securing and operating a heavy duty lid. The hinges used in the present invention are of a pin-in-pipe type hinge that is welded to the lid and inner lip. The hinges pivot easily and allow for removal of the lid for easier access to the compartment and for cleaning purposes.
An added object of the present invention is to provide a heavy duty bumper that will be not only functional and sturdy, but also attractive in appearance. The present bumper is designed with simple, yet attractive lines that compliment the vehicle and do not look "added on" or clumsy. The present bumper will be available in either a primered, chromed finish or painted to match the color of the vehicle.
A further object of the present invention is to offer consumers an alternative choice as a replacement bumper for used vehicles or as an original bumper on a new vehicle. Some vehicles (especially 3/4 and 1 ton pick ups) come without factory installed bumpers.